A
relative of one of the blast victims screams at a police officer
in front of St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral after an
explosion inside the cathedral in Cairo, Egypt December 11,
2016.REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El
Ghany

A bombing at Cairo's largest Coptic cathedral killed at least 25
people and wounded 49, many of them women and children attending
Sunday mass, in the deadliest attack on Egypt's Christian
minority in years.

The attack comes as President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi fights battles
on several fronts. His economic reforms have angered the poor, a
bloody crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood has seen thousands
jailed, whilst an insurgency rages in Northern Sinai, led by the
Egyptian branch of Islamic State.

The militant group has also carried out deadly attacks in Cairo
and has urged its supporters to launch attacks around the world
in recent weeks as it goes on the defensive in its Iraqi and
Syrian strongholds.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but exiled
Brotherhood officials and home-grown militant groups condemned
the attack. Islamic State supporters celebrated on social media.

"God bless the person who did this blessed act," wrote one
supporter on Telegram.

The explosion took place in a chapel, which adjoins St Mark's,
Cairo's main cathedral and the seat of Coptic Pope Tawadros II,
where security is normally tight.

The United States said it "will continue to work with its
partners to defeat such terrorist acts" and that it was committed
to Egypt's security, according to a White House statement on
Sunday.

The UN Security Council urged "all States, in accordance with
their obligations under international law and relevant Security
Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with all relevant
authorities" to hold those responsible accountable.

At the Vatican, Pope Francis condemned what he called the latest
in a series of "brutal terrorist attacks" and said he was praying
for the dead and wounded.

The chapel's floor was covered in debris from shattered windows,
its wooden pews blasted apart, its pillars blackened. Here and
there lay abandoned shoes and sticky patches of blood.

"As soon as the priest called us to prepare for prayer, the
explosion happened," Emad Shoukry, who was inside when the blast
took place, told Reuters.

"The explosion shook the place ... the dust covered the hall and
I was looking for the door, although I couldn't see anything ...
I managed to leave in the middle of screams and there were a lot
of people thrown on the ground."

Security sources told Reuters at least six children were among
the dead, with the blast detonating on the side of the church
normally used by women.

They said the explosion was caused by a device containing at
least 12 kg (26 pounds) of TNT.

Police and armored vehicles rushed to the area, as hundreds of
protesters gathered outside the compound demanding revenge for
the attack that took place on a Muslim holiday marking the
Prophet Mohammad's birthday and weeks before Christmas. Scuffles
broke out with police.

A woman sitting near the cathedral in traditional long robes
shouted, "kill them, kill the terrorists, what are you waiting
for? ... Why are you leaving them to bomb our homes?"

'Egyptian blood is cheap'

Though Egypt's Coptic Christians have traditionally been
supporters of the government, angry crowds turned their ire
against Sisi, saying his government had failed to protect them.

"As long as Egyptian blood is cheap, down, down with any
president," they chanted. Others chanted "the people demand the
fall of the regime", the rallying cry of the 2011 uprising that
helped end Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule.

Sisi's office condemned what it described as a terrorist attack,
declaring three days of mourning and promising justice. Al-Azhar,
Egypt's main Islamic center of learning, also denounced the
attacks.

Orthodox Copts, who comprise about 10 percent of Egypt's 90
million people, are the Middle East's biggest Christian
community.

Copts face regular attack by Muslim neighbors, who burn their
homes and churches in poor rural areas, usually in anger over an
inter-faith romance or the construction of church.

The last major attack on a church took place as worshippers left
a New Year's service in Alexandria weeks before the start of the
2011 uprising. At least 21 people were killed.

Egypt's Christian community has felt increasingly insecure since
Islamic State spread through Iraq and Syria in 2014, ruthlessly
targeting religious minorities. In 2015, 21 Egyptian Christians
working in Libya were killed by Islamic State.

The attack came two days after six police were killed in two bomb
attacks, one of them claimed by Hasm, a recently-emerged group
the government says is linked to the Brotherhood, which has been
banned under Sisi as a terrorist organization.

An
Egyptian Christian sits on a bench near a blood stain on a wall
at the scene following a bombing inside Cairo's Coptic cathedral
in Egypt December 11, 2016.REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

The Brotherhood says it is peaceful. Several exiled Brotherhood
officials condemned the bombing, as did Hasm and Liwaa'
al-Thawra, another local militant group.

Coptic Pope Tawadros II cut short a visit to Greece after
learning of the attack. In a speech aired on state television, he
said "the whole situation needs us all to be disciplined as much
as possible ... strong unity is the most important thing."

Church officials said earlier on Sunday they would not allow the
bombing to create sectarian differences.

But Christians, convinced attacks on them are not seriously
investigated, say this time they want justice.

"Where was the security? There were five or six security cars
stationed outside so where were they when 12 kg of TNT was
carried inside?" said Mena Samir, 25, standing at the church's
metal gate. "They keep telling us national unity, the crescent
with the cross ... This time we will not shut up."